Ghanaians abroad want recognition from Akufo Addo government

The new Akufo Addo administration has hit the ground running with the creation of 36 ministers that manifests the NPP’s campaign promise. By the time of going to press the president had sworn in 12 ministers.

The minority NDC, as usual, is already raising red flags over some of the ministers and ministries calling them jobs for the boys and irrelevant. Some ministries are seen as overlapping but the president considers them as strategic for the economy he envisions for the country and therefore need to be separated. For instance, the ministries of aviation and railways have been separated from the ministry of transportation. Nana Addo explains that such changes would bring efficiency in the delivery of the executive, as well as enable his government to fulfill its mandate and the pledges timeously.

Amandla appreciates the philosophy embedded in President Akufo Addo’s thinking and shares the underlying vision. It seems, however, that the president is overlooking a significant constituency: the Ghanaian Diaspora. The first NPP administration under President J. A. Kufuor enacted the Representation of the People’s Act, (ROPA) that sought to enable the Ghanaian abroad to vote wherever they were but the law was moribund. That notwithstanding, Ghanaians abroad have flown home to cast their votes in elections, including the recent one that attracted a good number of them.

We should be reminded by the Jewish Diaspora and its contribution to Israel’s survival in a turbulent region. India, among other Asian countries also has a robust expatriate community and has a dedicated ministry for it. The Ghanaian Diaspora continues to be a vital and growing resource to the national economy and must not be ignored. They must be involved in the development process in as much as they deserve to be given a dedicated ministry, department or agency, and we believe if anyone can do it, it is the government of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo.

It is never a bad feeling to know you are being appreciated by your own.